


Capital Vices

by captainamergirl



Category: One Life to Live
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-19
Updated: 2019-03-19
Packaged: 2019-11-25 20:07:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18170867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captainamergirl/pseuds/captainamergirl
Summary: Or, the 7 deadly sins.





	1. Chapter 1

**Part 1: Wrath**  
  
"You're fired, all of you people are fired!" Todd Manning bellowed as he stomped out of his office. People stared at him in shock and he finally heaved a trash can at the nearest gawker. "Did you hear me, Fred? You're fired! Pack up your belongings and your paper weights and get the fuck out of here! And take the rest of these losers with you."  
  
People realized Todd was serious now. Half ran for the nearest exit while the other half bravely boxed up their things while keeping wary eyes trained on their now-former boss.  
  
Just then Kelly Cramer walked into the building and noticed a stream of employees shoving past her. She tried flagging down one of them to ask what was going on but they weren't stopping. In fact she was nearly trampled over for her efforts.  
  
She finally made into the main office and spotted a photographer named Tricia crying as she packed up her expensive camera equipment.  
  
"Tricia, what the hell is going on here?" Kelly asked.  
  
"Todd just went ape on all of us. We're fired. _All of us,"_ Tricia said pointedly as she looked at Kelly's press badge. "Finito..."  
  
Tricia, sobbing now, picked up her box and hurried out with everyone else. Kelly could turn tail and run but she wasn't afraid of Todd and never had been. He was just an overgrown boy throwing a temper tantrum in Kelly's mind. About what though, she could only guess.  
  
"Todd," she said as she walked into his office and saw him sulking in his big, leather chair. "What the hell is going on? Tricia just told me you went insane and fired everyone."  
  
"So you got the memo? Good. Cause you're fired too," Todd spat.  
  
"Are you kidding? What did we all do to deserve this?"  
  
"What did you do, Kelly? What did you do? You all worked for my twin brother, you all believed he was me. Didn't even question it. You were all so easily fooled... What kind of reporter are you anyway?" He asked, glaring at her contemptuously.  
  
"What happened to you is ... regrettable ... but who will help run your magazine if all of your staff is gone?"  
  
"I'll do it," Todd declared. "I started from the basement and built up this magazine myself to what it is. I can do the same again." He waved his hand. "Now why don't you go play kissy-face with one of my nephews and get out of here?"  
  
Kelly shook her head resolutely. "Todd, you're being completely unreasonable. You are being completely .. you."  
  
"And yet you confused me for an imposter with a different face. Bravo, Kelly, bravo," Todd said mockingly. "Now go on. Get to stepping and don't come back."  
  
Kelly shook her head and walked back to the door. "You're going to regret this," she said evenly and she knew he would. Todd may be angry at the whole world but in the end, he could only blame himself for what he had done today.


	2. Pride

**Part 2 – Pride**  
  
It was after two in the afternoon and Kelly was depressed. She was sitting in her pajamas eating a carton of Ben and Jerry’s Cherries Garcia, feeling utterly miserable. She had lost Joey when they were _thisclose_ to reconciling, to getting back what they lost. But he had decided to stick by his cheating whore of a wife, Aubrey. And then to top it all off, Kelly had been canned from her job. A job she was damn good at. A job that would have taken her mind off of her “man problems”, at least for a while.  
  
“Damn that Todd,” she muttered around a spoonful of ice cream. “Damn him for firing me.” While she understood that he felt betrayed by the whole world for buying into Victor’s claim that he was actually Todd, she didn’t get why he had to fire everyone over it. Kelly may not need a job, but she _wanted_ one. She wanted to be professionally fulfilled if not fulfilled in any other way. She had sent out some resumes but so far, there had been no interest from any of the other rival newspapers.  
  
“Damn Todd,” she muttered again. She had half a mind to march right over to The Sun and rip him a new one. Hell, why shouldn’t she do just that? He deserved it. She quickly tossed the remainder (two bites worth) of Cherries Garcia in the nearby trash can and ran upstairs to get dressed. She was a mess. Half of her was okay with that but the other half wanted to show Todd who he was missing on his staff. The ultimate professional.  
  
XoXoXo  
  
Kelly walked into The Sun. At least, she thought was The Sun though. It was hard to tell because it was so terribly messy. Papers and desk furniture and office supplies were strewn all around like a hurricane had blown through the room. _That’s right_ , she mused. _Hurricane Manning._  
  
She stepped carefully over a fallen desk chair, careful not to trip in her four-inch stilettos. She then marched to his office and threw back the door. She found him sitting in his office, a bunch of receipts and papers crumpled up on his desk. He looked up when she entered. “What do you want, Kelly?” he demanded. “Can’t you see I’m busy here?”  
  
“It seems to me you can’t even find the bottom of your desk so how are you going to run a magazine by yourself?” Kelly asked. She had intended to throw insults at him but so far, they weren’t forthcoming. Maybe it was because Todd looked the way she felt – frustrated and completely overwhelmed. That was probably the only thing in the whole world they had in common.  
  
“Kelly, shut up. I know what I’m doing,” Todd said and pointedly picked up a file folder. Upside down. Everything inside of it immediately spilled out from it and slid to the floor, spewing every which way.  
  
“Shit,” Todd said.  
  
“Todd, you need help.”  
  
“So everyone keeps telling me,” he snapped. “What are you even doing here?”  
  
“You know, it’s not a crime to ask for help. Put aside your damn pride and let me come back to work already.”  
  
“Why the hell should I?” Todd demanded. “You bought into my brother’s lies just like everyone else.”  
  
“Yeah, yeah I did. But if it makes you feel any better, I didn’t like him anymore than I like you. Which is to say, I hated him. So don’t feel like you’ve been slighted by me.”  
  
Todd rolled his eyes and looked at the papers in front of him. “You want your job back?” He asked and she nodded. “Okay, oh ace reporter of mine, you can start by cleaning up the mess in the newsroom.”  
  
“The mess you made during one of your temper tantrums?” Kelly challenged him.  
  
“Do you want your job or not? Just get started cleaning,” Todd said. He then stood and moved over to her, forcibly pushing her out of his office.


	3. Gluttony

**Part 3 – Gluttony**  
  
Kelly had been back at The Sun for just over a week and was discovering that Todd had no intention of rehiring any of his other former staff back like he had promised. He kept finding reasons not to do it and she gave up trying to make him see reason after a while.  
  
Kelly walked into Todd’s office on this afternoon to find him not working on the ad copy like he should be but actually stuffing his mouth with a gargantuan-sized sandwich. Bits of lettuce and tomato were strewn all over the desk and a little mustard was sitting on his upper lip. He was eating like he had been starved for months. It was almost … animalistic the way he was ripping into that bread. Yes, animalistic was the word. That was Todd for you though - ripping anything to shreds that he could get his hands – or mouth – on. He was virtually a caveman.  
  
Todd rolled his eyes when he saw her watching him with disgust on her face. “Oh come on,” he said around a huge bite of sandwich, “like you’ve never seen a man eat before.”  
  
“Not quite that … passionately,” Kelly said.  
  
“You mean Joey takes itty-bitty _ladylike_ bites,” Todd sniffed. “That figures.”  
  
Kelly shook her head. “Do you have to keep bringing up Joey?” She finally snapped out. It was annoying how Todd kept referencing her past as if his were anymore sterling.  
  
“Fine, fine. What happened with you two anyway?” Todd asked.  
  
“He wanted someone else,” Kelly said, looking away. “Look now that you know the dirty details, can we please focus on the matter at hand? We have a paper to run.”  
  
“It’s my paper,” Todd said passively. “You work for me.”  
  
Kelly leaned against the edge of the desk. “About that … I want a raise. No, I _demand_ a raise.”  
  
Todd glared at her. “Are you kidding me? What do you need a raise for?”  
  
“Because I earned it, Todd!” she practically shouted. “I’ve not only been pulling my weight, I’ve been cleaning up your messes and answering phones like a secretary. You also have me going on snack and coffee runs… I deserve a raise and you’re going to give me one.”  
  
“What do you need more money for?” Todd asked. “You are a trust fund baby who had everything you ever wanted given to you on a silver spoon. You need more money like I need a hole in the head.”  
  
“I swear you already have one,” Kelly muttered. “I may not need a raise but I deserve one.”  
  
“Yeah, fine,” Todd spat. “What are you even going to buy with all your money?”  
  
Kelly shrugged. “Probably some new shoes. You have me running around so much that I am wearing a hole through these ones,” she said as she moved off the edge of the desk.  
  
“Fine, whatever. Just get back to work… Oh and pick me up something from the bakery down the street on your way back.”  
  
Kelly rolled her eyes. “Don’t you ever get tired of eating?”  
  
“Do you ever get tired of whining?” Todd returned and she just threw up her hands and walked out of the office.


	4. Sloth

**Part 4 – Sloth**  
  
Kelly had worked every day for the past three weeks straight and she was dead tired. She needed a break and she intended to take one, though telling Todd would not be a pleasant experience. Still, she was determined to see this through.  
  
She walked into his office to find him pouring over ad copy. “Todd,” she said, announcing herself.  
  
He looked up for a moment as he turned a page. “Good, you’re here. I was just about to call you in. The coffee pot needs new grounds. The old stuff has turned to shit.”  
  
“Todd –"  
  
“And while you’re getting new coffee grounds, make me a sandwich. I haven’t eaten in like an hour and you know when I’m hungry, I’m grouchy.”  
  
Kelly stood there, slender arms crossed, tapping her foot. He looked up at her. “Get a move on. What are you just standing there for?”  
  
“Todd, I am tired of being your errand girl, fetching you coffee and making you sandwiches like some kind of servant. I love when you actually let me write a column but the other stuff is for the birds. Frankly, I am tired and I need a break. I’m taking the rest of the weekend off.”  
  
Todd shot out of his seat. “Oh no. No way. You are _not_ taking a break. This paper won’t get back on track by itself.”  
  
“Maybe it’s time to bring back some of those employees you wrongly fired. And even if you don’t, I’m still taking a weekend off.” She turned on her heel and started for the door.  
  
Todd growled after her. “You know what you are, Kelly Cramer? You’re _lazy_. Go ahead and take your little break. I don’t need you.”  
  
XoXoXo  
  
“I lied,” he said when he turned up at her door less than two hours later. “I do need you. The whole paper is falling apart already with you gone. So just come back to work, okay?”  
  
“Todd, I need a break,” Kelly insisted with a shake of her head. “Seriously.”  
  
“Don’t make me beg. I don’t beg.”  
  
“Todd, just go. I’ll see you Monday morning.” She started to close the door in his face but he blocked it with the toe of his Italian leather shoe.  
  
“Kelly, you need – you need shoes. Lots more shoes.”  
  
“What are you talking about?”  
  
“You mentioned once how much you loved shoes, right?”  
  
“Yeah… I wasn’t even sure you were paying attention though.”  
  
“I was, boring as that conversation was. Anyway, you want more shoes and I can get them for you. Any shoes you want. Hell, I’ll buy out the whole of Bergdorf whatever its name is if you just come back to the office right now. I can’t keep things together, not without your help.”  
  
Kelly sighed. “Was that painful to admit?”  
  
“Yes, physically. My stomach is all twisted up in knots.”  
  
“I guess I can come in for a few hours but get this straight, Todd. I am a reporter, not your errand girl or your maid. You want coffee or a sandwich? Make them yourself. I am done playing go-and-fetch. And yes, you’re going to get me shoes. Lots and lots of shoes for this.”  
  
“Yeah fine, whatever. Can we just go?”  
  
“A little gratitude goes along way.”  
  
“Sure it does.”  
  
“Say the words, Todd.”  
  
“What words?”  
  
“Those three precious little ones that would be music to my ears.”  
  
“Which three? Oh _those_ three. Fine. ‘Thank you, Kelly’. Are you satisfied now that you’ve tried to make me your bitch?”  
  
“It will do for now,” Kelly said. She sighed. “Let’s go.”  
  
“Yeah, let’s.”  
  
And they walked out the door together.


End file.
